Prep Athlete of the Week: Hull at home in Pleasant Valley's lineup

CHICO — If diamonds are some girls' best friends, then it's been quite a relationship for Pleasant Valley High's Kaylie Hull.

"It's the competitiveness," Hull said of what she enjoys most about softball. "When you're not doing well, you can take it out on the ball. You can dive and get dirty."

Hull, a senior, has been a mainstay on the school's softball team since her freshman year, giving the Vikings a standout third baseman and a productive bat in the middle of the order.

Hull's presence has been a comfort to her coach Tony Tallerico.

"Just being able to put her name in the lineup," Tallerico said. "She's as good of a third baseman as we've had and probably in the section in quite a while."

Her ability earned her a scholarship that will cover the majority of costs to Saint Martin's University, a Division II school in Lacey, Wash.

This season, Hull's lightning-quick bat paired with the thunder that Dominique Jackson provides with her Northern Section-leading 12 home runs has given Pleasant Valley the best combination of Nos. 3 and 4 hitters. But Hull was fast to point out all the Vikings can hit.

"Mimi Williams usually gets a base hit or a double or a triple or even a home run, and Jessica (Gallaway) gets on consistently, I get on consistently, and Dominique is a big powerhouse," Hull said. "There's not really a weak spot in our lineup."

The Vikings have scored 307 runs in 30 games thus far, averaging a little more than 10 runs a game. Their season total is only five less runs than the rest of the Eastern Athletic League has scored combined in 70 games played.

In the middle of that success — the Vikings are 28-2 and ranked 10th in the state among Division II schools — is Hull.

"She's a great kid overall," Tallerico said. "Her parents have instilled in her a work ethic you don't see in a lot of high school kids."

Hull, a two-time, all-league selection, said she works on her hitting every day, and it shows. She has been just as good if not better than last season when she was named the all-section, first-team third baseman as she hit .467, driving in 30 runs and scoring 30 runs in her junior season. This year, Hull is tied with Jackson for fourth in the section with 44 runs scored. Hull has 29 RBIs to go with a .466 batting average, .537 on-base-percentage, 10 doubles and four triples.